Hudibras Pt 13 ed by A Milnes Author:Samuel Butler Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PART I.—CANTO III. THE ARGUMENT. The scattered rout return and rally, Surround the place ; the knight does sally. And is made prisoner: then they seize Th'... more » enehanted fort by storm, release Crowdcro, and put the squire in 's place : I should have first said Hudibras. AY me ! what perils do environ The man that meddles with cold iron ! What plaguy mischiefs and mishaps Do dog him still with after-claps! s For though dame Fortune seem to smile, And leer upon him for a while, She'll after show him, in the nick Of all his glories, a dog-trick. This any man may sing or say ,0 I' th' ditty called, ' What if a day ?' For Hudibras, who thought he 'ad won The field, as certain as a gun, And having routed the whole troop, With victory was cock-a-hoop; ,5 Thinking he 'ad done enough to purchase Thanksgiving-day among the churches, AVherein his mettle and brave worth Might be explained by holder-forth, And registered by fame eternal, 3o In deathless pages of diurnal; Found in few minutes, to his cost, He did but count without his host; And that a turn-stile is more certain Than, in events of war, dame Fortune. 25 For now the late faint-hearted rout, O'erthrown and scattered round about. Chased by the horror of their fear, From bloody fray of knight and bear, All but the dogs, who in pursuit 30 Of the knight's victory stood to't, And most ignobly sought to get The honour of his blood and sweat, Seeing the coast was free and clear 0' the conquered and the conqueror, 35 Took heart again, and faced about, As if they meant to stand it out: For now the half-defeated bear, Attacked by th' enemy i' th' rear, Finding their number grew too great 4o For him to make a safe retreat, Like a bold chieftain faced about; But wisely...« less